


The Regular Customer

by Herokittykat



Category: Undertale
Genre: Depression, Human AU, Insomnia, M/M, Mettaton NEO, Mettaton Neo and Metton Ex are twins, Panic Attacks, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Sanneo, Trans Mettaton
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-15
Updated: 2015-12-12
Packaged: 2018-05-01 16:01:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 18,774
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5212022
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Herokittykat/pseuds/Herokittykat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Work at Grillby'z was slow, College was slow, he couldn't sleep at night, and the cold nipped at the skin that touched Neo's metal arm. Life was in a pit since his mother had died in that accident ten years ago. Then he met the regular customer.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Human designs belong to myself and Toddnet

The day was slow at Grillby’z, it usually was on Wednesdays. Neo stood behind the counter next to his boss, Grillby, and wiped down glasses. Neo and Grillby were the only ones who worked in the small bar on Wednesdays. He could hear a passing conversation between a couple female customers about Mettaton’s new game show. They talked about how good of a host he was and how, if they had the chance to, they would like to be on a segment of the show. Neo smiled at this, he was always happy when people talked about his brother. It had always been Mettaton’s dream to become a star. In the past, people used to get the twins confused for one another, they had looked very similar in the past, but nowadays Neo were far more muscular and had the major difference of his right arm being made of metal from the elbow down and the three, ugly scars above and over his right eye.

Grillby looked up as the small chiming of the bell above the door rang throughout the room. In came a short man in a hoodie. He had chocolate colored hair and dark skin. “Hey Grillby,” he said, his voice was flat and guttural. The man strode up to the bar and sat down, making it easier for Neo to see him. His eyes were two different colors, the left was an orange-brown and the right was a deep blue. Under his right eye was a small scar that looked to have been there for years.

Grillby smiled and looked down at the short man and greeted him. “Hello Sans. You haven't been here in some time, was something up with your research?” Grillby’s voice was faint and toneless as he spoke to his friend.

“Nah, we thought we found something but it was a bust. Can I get some ketchup and fries?”

Grillby chuckled and reached under the counter to grab a bottle of ketchup. With a smile, Sans took the ketchup and shot some into his mouth. Grillby then left to go make some fries, leaving only Neo and Sans at the bar.

Neo moved his eyes back to the glass that he was cleaning, put it away, and grabbed a new one. Sans watched as the bartender focused intently on the dirty glass, scrubbing every spec of uncleanliness from it.

The short customer laughed at Neo’s determination to clean the glass. “Is it really that dirty?” Neo jumps at the sudden voice directed at him. Usually the only people who talk to him at work are asking for food or drink or are trying to get his number. “No need to be so rattled, I don't bite.” Sans held out his hand with a lazy grin, “Name’s Sans.”

Neo looked at the customer’s hand before setting down the cloth and rag that covered his right hand and shaking Sans’s hand. A quiet farting noise came from their hands, causing Sans to laugh and Neo to take his hand back.

“The old whoopie cushion in the hand trick, works every time,” he joked and took the small whoopie cushion out of his palm. “So, what's your name?”

Neo took a moment to compose himself, “I’m Neo,” his voice was a pleasant hum, deep and rich.

“That's a nice name, I’m Sans.” There was a small silence between the two before he began to speak again, “So, is it just your hand that's metal, or is it the entire arm?” Sans motioned to the bartender’s grey, metal hand that came out from under the long sleeves of his suit.

Neo gave a toothy grin and pulled up his sleeve as high as it could go without ripping, “It’s arificial up to my elbow, but after that is pretty normal.”

Sans leaned in and put his hand over the smooth metal, caressing the three indents that ran along the top side. Neo’s cheeks ran red as the shorter man looked at every detail in the arm. Before long, Sans let go and let the bartender slide the sleeve back over the metal, hiding it from sight. Just as Neo rolled his sleeve down, Grillby came out from the kitchen with an order of fries and set them in front of Sans.

“Are you getting acquainted with the new bartender, Sans?” Grillby asked from behind the counter as Sans drowned his fries in ketchup.

“Hmm? Oh yeah, his arm is really cool,” Sans looked to you and squinted a bit, “How old are you anyways?”

Neo shrugged, “I’m nineteen.”

At that, Sans almost spat out his ketchup drenched fries, “No way you're Nineteen. You’re pulling my leg. You’ve got to be at least twenty-two.”

Grillby chuckled at his shocked friend, “He really is Nineteen, Sans.”

Neo pulled out his student ID and showed it to Sans, who took it and looked at the information on it. Sure enough, Neo was nineteen years old. Reaching out, he handed the ID back to Neo, “You're really tall for someone your age,” Sans chuckled awkwardly, knowing he was really the short one.

Over the next few hours of Neo’s shift, he talked to Sans and occasionally went to take an order or serve a drink to a customer. Grillby left to make burgers and fries when they were ordered, occasionally switching tasks with Neo.

Eventually, Neo’s shift was over and Grillby had to close the bar for the night. Before he left, Grillby handed Neo a paper bag containing a burger and some fries. Neo had said goodbye to Sans and thanked his boss before walking home. The walk during the winter was scenic, the snow glittered in the moonlight and headlights of cars as they whirred by on the slush covered roads. Neo pulled his old jacket tighter around himself and continued the cold walk. Cold air nipped at his metal arm as it sapped the heat from his skin in attempt to stay warm. The snow crunched under Neo’s wet shoes as he treaded through the snowy sidewalk.

After a solid ten minutes of walking, Neo entered his apartment building, ascended the stairs, unlocked the door, and stepped inside. His apartment wasn't anything fancy, being a college student. Taking off his coat, he set it on the small hook protruding from the wall to his right. Taking his bag, Neo sat down at the kitchen table in the dark and ate his food. The burger was cooked well and the fries had the perfect amount of salt on their crispy edges. Grillby always knew how to perfect his food for a customer or employee. After the food was finished, he crumpled up the bag and threw it into the half-full trash can before making his way to the bathroom. After removing the contact lens over his right eye, he stripped down, stepped into the shower, and washed out the gel that coated his spiked hair. Getting out and sliding his boxers back on, Neo slipped under the warm covers.There he lay unable to sleep for hours on end. Insomnia pricking at his nerves, telling him not to sleep.

Grunting, Neo rolled over and grabbed his phone off of the small table beside his bed. On the screen were two messages, one from his brother who wished him a good night, the other text was from Undyne, your friend in the weightlifting club, who asked if there was a club meeting tomorrow. He shot her an answer, telling her that there was and to meet him outside of the engineering rooms. Flipping his phone face down, Neo set it pack on the table and buried his face into his pillow and closed his eyes, hoping for sleep to take him over.

 

 


	2. The snow cat

Neo’s room was dark when he woke up, no sunlight shone in through the the frosted windows and no bright city lights to wake him up. He lazily sat up and ran his left hand through his soft hair, feeling strands come out between his fingers. Flicking them to the floor, Neo dragged his half lidded eyes over to to his glowing red clock that read  3:21 AM. Knowing he would be unable to fall back asleep, he slid his legs off the side of the bed and rose to his feet with a stretch and a yawn.

Neo made his way to the apartment’s bathroom, grabbed a black tube on the counter and poured some of it's contents onto his palm. He ran his hand through his soft hair and spiked it up and to the right, revealing his scarred eye for the mirror to reflect back at him. Having significantly spiked his hair to it’s usual height, Neo ran his hand under the faucet and washed off the remaining gel from his palm and fingertips. The tall man dried his hand before opening the container to the left of the sink and removing the small clear lens from it, he dropped it onto his scarred eye.

Then he left the room and  opened the closet, grabbing a white shirt with a large black heart in the center, an upside down pink one below it, and a dark pink trim around the collar and ends of the sleeves. He slid it on over his bare torso and grabbed a pair of black jeans and threw them on, not bothering to change his undergarments. He unplugged his phone and dropped it into his pocket after checking that there were no messages.

Fully clothed and more awake, Neo grabs a box from the pantry and a pint of milk and poured them into a bowl. He ate the cereal slowly, not in a hurry to go anywhere and unable to enjoy the bland taste of the crunchy flakes. When only a few soggy flecks were left in the milk, he tipped the edge of the bowl into his mouth and drank the remaining fluid. He slid the milk, cereal, and dirty bowl back into their respective places and walked to the door. Sliding on his coat and slinging his backpack over his shoulders, Neo set off into the dim hallway, down the four flights of stairs into the main floor, and out the front door into the night.

The stars shone brightly in the night sky as opaque clouds danced across the bright, night sky. He inhaled the cool and crisp air that bit at his arm and sapped the tired sleep from his eyes. Neo began his walk towards the campus and took in the stunning sights around him. Snow had been shoveled off of the sidewalks and onto the sides of the walkway, covering the now dead and yellowed grass. Every now and then, a snowman, snow dog, or a tiny igloo could be found on people’s lawns, adorned with silly hats and scarves.

As the walk furthered on there were less and less houses and more business buildings and fast food restaurants. Neo had only seen one or two cars on the dark asphalt roads as he walked. Each car shone it's bright headlights into your eyes or whirred past your back, making you shiver worse than any cold could. A soft mewling could be heard from the parking lot of the McDonalds. Neo walked towards the sound, mind filled with curiosity. Behind the drive through menu was a small, brown kitten. The cat shivered  under the snow as it wriggled to get free. Neo reached out a hand towards the snow covered animal and it let out an fearful hiss, causing neo to retract his hand. He smiled at the abandoned kitten and went inside the building. Inside was a single employee who looked like he’d rather be dead than working right now.

“Welcome to McDonalds, what would you like to order,” the man said, sounding completely dead inside.

“I’ll just get the dollar burger,” Neo mumbles, placing a bill on the counter

The worker sighed and went to the back and quickly grilled a burger, put it between a pair of buns, wrapped it up, and handed it to you. “Have a McTastic day.”

Neo took the burger and carried it back outside to the drive through menu. The brown kitten had gotten atop the snow and was sitting against the wall of the building when Neo had walked down to it. The scared animal let out another hiss at him and pushed itself further towards the wall. Unwrapping the burger, Neo pulled a small chunk of the meat off and offered it to the kitten. The cat narrowed its eyes and hesitantly sniffed at the meat before taking it from his hand and devouring the chunk. Neo continued ripping off chunks of the burger and feeding it to the cat until the burger was gone and only bread was left. Reaching out towards the cat, Neo let the animal sniff his hand before scratching it’s soft head. The cat was freezing cold as it leaned into his warm touch. Neo unzipped his jacket halfway and reached out his other hand to the brown cat and lifted it up. The animal wiggled a bit at first but succumbed to the warm embrace of Neo’s chest. He placed the cat in his jacket and zipped it up.

“I guess I have a cat now,” Neo chuckled and pet the top of the cat’s head as it leaned to his touch.

The rest of the walk to the school was a bit warmer with the small cat against his chest letting out a rumbly purr. Neo smiled at the cat’s happy appearance and hoped that Sans would be at the Grillby’z on Saturday so he could tell him about his little cat. Neo’s face turned a shade of pink at that thought. Why did he want to tell Sans? He had just met him yesterday. Neo shoved the thought to the back of his mind and kept going on his way to school.

When he got there, students were sparse with it still being rather early. Neo strolled around the school with the animal against his chest and propped up by his left arm. A few students stopped and stared at the cat, others asking to pet it. Those who tried to touch the cat were hissed at by the brown animal and didn't bother to try again.

The day was slow and Neo went from class to class and ending the day in his engineering room. Outside stood a tall, dark skinned woman with bright red hair who greeted you when you exited the room. “Hey there punk!” the woman cried and slapped Neo’s back, causing the small cat to stirr from it’s sleep. Undyne’s voice was boisterous and filled with spunk.

“Hey Undyne, How’s it been?”

“Ya know, the usual. Hey. Whatcha got there?” Undyne motioned to the lump in your jacket. The animal popped it's head out, having been disturbed from it's sleep. “Is that a cat? Since when did you get a kitty!” Undyne reached out and scratched the kitten’s chin, letting out a loud purr.

“Found the little guy outside the McDonalds by my place,” Neo smiled at the animal as he walked with Undyne, “It was scared at first, but after I gave the little guy a Burger, he warmed right up to me.”

Undyne laughed and ruffled the back of your hair a bit, “Even with all those muscles and the intimidating scars, you're still such a big softie!”

The two reached the clubroom, which was really just the gymnasium, and went inside. There were four members inside, Papyrus being one of them. Papyrus was the same age as Undyne and the two were a year older than Neo. Papyrus had a very loud personality and loved puzzles and cooking, although his cooking wasn't great. The boy was as innocent as a five year old and couldn't help but act like one at times, that was probably one of the things Mettaton loved about him. He had dark, tanned skin and sepia brown locks.

Undyne readily ran over and violently ruffled Papyrus’s hair with much protest from him.

“Undyne! Quit it already!” Papyrus whined, trying to pry the woman off of him. The two had done this every day since Neo had met them and everyday Papyrus would tell her to quit it. She never did. The other three members of the club were Aaron, Bygg, and Shadow.   
After a thorough noogying, Papyrus and Undyne walked back to Neo and greeted him. “Oh Neo! It's so good to see you! It was a shame you couldn't make it to the last meeting. Your brother is doing well by the way.” Papyrus smiled and patted Neo on the back, once again stirring the cat.

“It's good to see you to,” Neo smiled and looked down at the kitten who began to wiggle around, “Oh and this is my new cat, I found the little guy this morning.”

Papyrus looked at the cat like it was a beautiful goddess coming down from the heavens. “Oh my, it's absolutely adorable! Do you if it's a girl or a boy, does it have a name yet?” Papyrus enthused, looking like he wanted to hug the kitten to its deathbed.

He hadn't thought about that. Lifting the cat out of his jacket, Neo set the animal down on the floor, allowing Papyrus to investigate it. He set a gentle, gloved hand on the cat’s head and trailed it along its back, stroking the animal. The cat melted into his touch and rubbed against Papyrus’s hand. He took the chance to look behind the cat and confirm one of his questions. “It's male, and an affectionate one at that.” Papyrus grinned and stopped petting the animal, who turned to Neo and started an attempt to climb up his leg.

“Little guy’s trying to get up your pants, did you leave the burger in your pocket or something?” Undyne commented, squatting down to see the cat at a better angle.

Neo grabbed the cat from under his front paws and lifted him up into his arms. It took a minute for him to get comfortable on Neo’s metal arm, but he managed.

“So, what are you going to name him?” Papyrus asked, reaching a hand out to pet the cat once more.

“Why not Burger or something; he seems to like them.” Undyne recommended, getting up from her squatting position on the floor.

“He likes crawling up your pants too!” Papyrus pointed out, holding his hands together. “Why not name him Burgerpants?”

Neo laughed at the fitting name for the cat. It reminded him of Mettaton’s silver rabbit that had a very unique name as well. “Burgerpants it is then.”

 

* * *

 

After naming Burgerpants the three had let the animal sleep on Neo’s jacket and Papyrus’s scarf while they went on with their club activities. Eventually the club ended and Neo said goodbye to his friends and headed home with Burgerpants.

Neo took the animal to the grocery store to pick up the essentials: A litterbox, Cat food, a small scratching post, and a couple of toys. Before long, Neo was home and setting up the cat’s supplies. Burgerpants explored the apartment with curiosity, crawling under every narrow space and leaping on tables and countertops with grace.

After Neo had finished setting up Burgerpants’s items, he found the cat asleep on his bed. Neo went through his evening routine, cleaning the dry gel from his hair, eating a short and quick meal, and stripping down to his boxers before crawling into bed.

Burgerpants was asleep at the foot of the bed, his tail gently laid over Neo’s leg as the end gently twitched in the animal’s sleep. Neo grabbed his phone and held it above his face, eyes scanning the screen for information. He had gotten a text from Mettaton, warning him of the thunderstorm that was expected to happen on Sunday. Sending him a quick “Thanks man”, Neo closed the app and opened up his blog to check the latest posts on his dash. There were several selfies of his brother dotted throughout his dash, each with a different pose and facial expression. Mettaton’s one visible eye had a stunning pink iris, much like Neo’s own. His brother had jet black hair, swooped and styled to cover his right eye with ease. His skin was a very pale color, seeming to have never seen a glimpse of sunlight in it's lifetime. Neo went through and liked the posts, reblogging one or two as he went by to make his twin brother smile.

Time ticked by as he scrolled endlessly, listening to a couple of songs his cousin had released, watching vines, and seeing a few pictures Papyrus and Undyne along the way. The two had taken some pictures with their respective boyfriend and girlfriend, Mettaton leaned on Papyrus and had an arm around the older’s neck as he held his other arm out for the selfie, Undyne had taken only one picture with Alphys but the two smiled brightly in the picture.

Neo sat up and aimed the phone’s camera at the sleeping cat by his foot. The animal didn't even bother to move as the flash went off and a picture was snapped of him. With a little grin, Neo admired the picture and posted it, captioning it with “Look who I found on my way to school today, I guess I've got a cat now,” and posted it.

He set down the phone on his bedside table and turned it off. Lying on his back, Neo stared at the fuzzy lines and dots that ran across his eyes as he stared at the pitch black ceiling. Closing his sleepless eyes, he waited for the comfortable feeling to overtake him.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry. I have no idea how contact lenses work I only wear glasses.


	3. Teasing words

Neo awoke to the sound of hungry mewling. Prying his once sleeping eyes open,  Neo sat up and looked at his clock that read 6:21.  With a quick look around the room, Neo saw the source of the noise. Burgerpants stood on the floor below the bed with a lazy look in his yellow eyes.  Lazily swinging his legs out of bed, Neo went to feed the animal before he got ready for the day.  Tilting the bag over  the bowl, the crunchy brown mix poured into the  plastic container on the floor.  The hungry cat watched as the pellets filled the bowl and  as the flow slowed, he hungrily munched on them.

Now awake, Neo went through his morning routine as per usual; styling his hair, putting in the single contact lens, putting on hopefully clean clothes, and eating the bland cereal he always did.  It being a Friday, the student didn’t have classes until noon. With an exhausted sigh, Neo sat down at the desk in the corner of the main room and opened the laptop that sit upon it. He checked his spam cluttered email and cleared out all of the unwanted mail. Under all the spam he found nothing of interest.

The rest of the morning dragged on as Neo did various activities on his computer with the distant sound of a bell chiming inside of a tiny ball. Neo glanced over to the clock and closed his computer, seeing that it was 10:58. He swung on his backpack, said goodbye to Burgerpants, and set off to school.

The air was warmer than it had been the previous day as it beat down unforgivingly on the now melting snow. The icy froth reflected the sun’s rays like a mirror, blinding anyone who dared to look at the pure white mounds as they shrunk and became liquified.

The walk was much shorter than the day before, it not having the detour of the previous day. When Neo arrived at the campus, there were students everywhere. He made his way to class and began the day.

 

* * *

 

Neo couldn't say the day was boring, but he couldn't describe it as fun either. It was interesting though.

He made his way home, taking the same path as usual when his phone began to buzz. Pulling it out of his pocket, Neo looked at the caller. Grillby. Confused as to why his boss would call him, he answered and held it up to his ear.“Hello?”

“Ah yes, Thank you for picking up,” Grillby’s faint voice was slightly drowned out by the sea of people around him, “If possible, could you come into work today? There are more customers than usual.”

“Yeah sure, I’m free,” Neo looks around to get his bearings before changing direction, “I’ll be over there soon, boss.”

“Thank you Neo.” At that Grillby hung up and Neo continued his walk to work.

He stepped inside the busy building to find that Grillby wasn't wrong when he said it busy. Every seat was filled and there were people hanging out by the walls with their drinks. Neo went through the crowd and made his way to the bar and slipped into the back room. Grillby was a multi-tasking prodigy, focusing on flipping the burgers and frying the fries at once.

“I just got off from school when You called me,” Neo began, getting red-head’s attention, “Give me a minute to change and I’ll be right over.” Grillby gave a silent nod of the head and went back to focus on the burgers and fries.

 

It took Neo a few minutes to change, being careful not to tear or stretch the white sleeves on his metal arm. Once he had it on, he left his backpack and clothes in a neat pile in the back room and moved behind the counter to serve drinks alongside your female coworker, Muffet.

“Hello, my dearie.” She greeted, her voice raspy in a pretty way. Muffet had black hair much like your own and kept it held up in two red ponytails on the side of her head. Her skin was a pale, milky white and she had small freckles over the top of her nose. Muffet’s eyes were a jungle green color and her eyeliner was beautifully winged to the side. “Quite a busy day isn't it.”

Neo nodded at his coworker and turned to a customer who him for a drink. Out of the corner of his eye, Neo could occasionally see Grillby go out and deliver a plate of food to a table or take someone’s order and bring it back to the kitchen.

Minutes ticked by as Neo and Muffet served drinks and minutes turned to hours, people coming and leaving. Serving drinks and the chiming of the bell above the door became monotonous as time flowed by. Two men sat down on the far end of the bar and ordered a pair of drinks. Neo heard their passing conversation as he poured the two drinks into the pair of glasses.

“So did you see Mettaton’s talk show last night?”

Neo handed them the drinks and went back to stand beside Muffet.

“Yeah, For a nineteen year old, She’s pretty hot.”

Neo narrowed his eyes and glared daggers at the two. Mettaton was not a girl. Neo felt rage boil as the two continued to prove disrespectful to his twin. It only got worse from there, the men saying how Mettaton was probably a whore behind the scenes.

The bell above the door jingled as a short man walked in with his hands in his pockets and a blue hood over his head. He took a seat next to the pair of men and looked to Neo, whose hands were shaking from being clenched in tight fists.

Muffet lay a hand on the bartender’s shoulder and gave him a comforting look. “Dearie,” she whispered to him, careful not to let the pair of customers hear, “don't do anything rash. You’ll most definitely regret it.” Neo violently shrugged her hand away and gritted his teeth together as he began to walk across the bar to the pair.

Before Neo could do anything, the short man spoke up. “Listen, I don't appreciate you talking shit about Mettaton,” The man’s voice was low and menacing, “He’s a good friend of mine.”

One of the men scoffed, “What do you care, short stack? If you're so close to her, why don't you-” The man was abruptly cut off when he has grabbed by the collar and pulled downwards.

“Mettaton isn't a girl you disrespectful fuck,” the shorter hissed, his volume raising towards the end of the sentence as he pushed away the taller man as his hood fell off his head.

Neo recognised the shorter man as Sans as he walked over to the end of the bar.

“If she's really not a girl,” the other man sneered, “tell me, what's between her legs.”

Neo snapped; walking to the end of the bar, he slammed his hands against the bar and made a loud bang and metallic clang. “This is my brother we’re talking about,” his voice was drenched in venom, “if you keep up this attitude, I might need your face to get acquainted with my right fist here.”

The pair of men looked down from Neo’s scarred eye and down to the metallic hand that forced down on the top of the bar. People stared at the scene before them, gawking at the bartender’s intimidating appearance and stature. Without a word the two men began to stand up and exit the bar, surrounded by quiet whispers.

Within a minute of their departure the bar returned to normal, with its loud volume and bustling customers. Sans got back on his barstool and looked to Neo with an impressed look on his face. “I didn't know Mettaton was your brother, the two of you look nothing alike.”

Neo turned to the short man and smiled, “He’s not just my brother, Mettaton’s my twin. Not identical though,” Neo picked up a glass and started cleaning it, rubbing the rag inside and out. “So, I didn't know you knew my brother. What's your relation to him?”

Sans chuckled, “He’s my brother’s boyfriend. Little goober loves him to death.” Sans had a fond look on his face as he spoke.

Neo raised his eyebrows in shock, “Wait, you're Papyrus's brother?”

“One and only,” Sans chuckled and grinned at the bartender’s expression, “So, can you give me some ketchup?”

Neo reached under the counter and grabbed the red bottle and handed it to Sans. “Want a straw with that?” he teased, leaning an arm on the countertop.

Muffet couldn't help but snicker at the pair of boys as she served drinks to thirsty and drunken customers.

As the customers stopped coming in and started leaving, Grillby came out of the kitchen and wiped droplets of sweat away from his forehead as he stepped behind the bar counter. “Oh Sans, I didn't know you came in,” he said, noticing the brunet at the bar.

“It's alright Grillby, Neo kept me company while you were making burgers.”

Grillby sighed, letting his lips turn up in a gentle smile. “That's good,” he turned to Neo, “Thanks for coming in on such short notice, I hope I didn't inconvenience you.” Grillby was sincere when he spoke to his employee, his voice holding positive emotion.

“Nah, don't worry about it boss. It was a pleasure; I got to see Sans too,” Neo let out a toothy grin as he spoke.

“You can go into the back and change now, Muffet and I can do clean up.”

Neo nodded and headed towards the back room to change and grab his backpack. Sliding on his pants, shirt, and jacket, Neo left the room backpack in hand.

Sans still sat at the bar with his bottle of ketchup as Grillby and Muffet went around wiping down tables and chairs. Neo took a seat next to Sans and laid his backpack by their feet.

“Saying for a bit longer?” Sans questioned, looking up at the tall student.

“Might as well hang out for a bit,” Neo shrugged and leaned against the cool countertop.

“So, you busy Sunday? Papyrus invited your brother over and it would be nice to have some company while those two do their thing.”

Neo turned to Grillby, who had overheard their conversation, and the redhead gave a slight nod before continuing to clean the table. “Yeah, I can do that. Sunday's free for me.”

Sans pulled out his phone, tapped the screen a couple of times, and then turned it to Neo. On the screen was a string of numbers that Neo quickly typed out with one hand into a new contact. “I’ll text you my address tomorrow,” Sans grinned, putting his phone away.

Across the bar there was a snicker, “Looks like Sansy is getting himself a boyfriend!” Muffet teased, causing a small flutter of pink to rise on the boys’ faces.

“Think what ya want Muff’. I'm just making friends,” Sans shrugged off the tease with a nonchalant tone in his voice, his cheeks still tinged pink.

“I should probably be getting home now,” Neo said, trying to compose himself as he picked up his backpack off the floor and headed towards the door.

Sans got up from the barstool, gave a quick wave to Grillby, and followed Neo out of the bar. “Hey, Kiddo,” Sans spoke up, causing Neo to turn his head, “Are you walking home? I can drive you If you want.”

Neo shivered at the cold air surrounding him and forced a smile out, “It's alright, Man. I try to avoid cars when I can.” Neo’s voice shook a bit as he nervously grabbed his right elbow.

“Alright, I’ll see you Sunday,” he said, noticing Neo’s uneasiness around the vehicle. Getting in his car, Sans drove off, leaving Neo alone.

Neo sighed and pulled his jacket around him tighter as he walked through the cold dusk.

* * *

 

Saturday’s work was busy; Muffet, Grillby, Neo and Grillby’s daughter worked to keep the bar running. There was no sign of the men from the day before or of Sans throughout the entire day. At about 3 PM, Neo’s phone buzzed at the new message from Sans

> **Hey buddy here’s the address…**
> 
> _Thanks Sans, I’ll see you tomorrow._

Neo slid his phone back into his pocket and continued his work with building anticipation for seeing Sans and Papyrus the next day.

Muffet leaned in on Neo as he put his phone away, “Was that a text from your boyfriend?”

Neo felt a pink blush crawl up his cheeks at the teasing comment. “Yes, No! I mean NO! It was from Sans. He’s just my friend!” Neo made a complete embarrassment of himself in front of the customers at the bar.

“Does lover boy have a thing for Sans?” Claressa (AN.1) , leaning on the counter.

Neo’s blush deepened, “I-I told you we’re just friends!”

“Sure dearie, think that all you want,” Muffet snickered, putting a hand on his shoulder.

“Don’t tease the lad,” Jeremy reassured, looking at Neo with comforting eyes.

“But darling,” Claressa whined, getting a stern look from Jeremy, “Oh fine.”

Neo went back to serving drinks to other customers, suppressing his red face for the rest of the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN:1 - Ok so Jeremy and Claressa are dogamy and Dogaressa, I just thought having their names like that would be... Strange? I dunno. Dogamy, Dogaressa, Doggo, Greater Dog, and Lesser Dog will probably show up every now and then as regulars of the bar. I don't have names for Lesser or Greater dog yet but I think Doggo will keep his name (I love that little pooch)  
> OK so chapter 4 and 5 will be here shortly, I need to write a oneshot at somebody's request and type up Neon lights ch 12 and I have a school project but school can wait (I need to stop procrastinating) Until then, Toodles!


	4. Fun while it lasted.

Neo checked the address on his phone at least three times before taking a deep breath and knocking on the door. Before leaving the house, Neo had played with Burgerpants for almost an hour before filling the cat’s bowl, giving him a pat on the head, and leaving with hopes the animal wouldn't be too lonely. Multiple deep barks and a shrill pitched one came from the house after the student had knocked on the door. The door opened and two dogs came barreling down towards him, deep and playful barks coming from their snouts. Sans was able to grab one of them by the collar before it could jump on the teenager but had failed to catch the other. The large, brown doberman jumped up and put its large paws on Neo’s chest and wiped a wet tongue over his face, causing Neo to burst out in helpless laughter as he stumbled backwards at the dog’s weight.

“Rocco, come ‘ere” Sans called, whistling to the dog as it got off of the tall student. Just as Rocco went back to Sans, a tiny white puppy ran between his legs and started yapping and jumping at Neo’s leg. Amused, he leaned down to pick up the pearly white dog. Sans let go of Rocco and the other black doberman and walked over to Neo, the dogs flanking his sides. “Sorry about that,” he apologised, rubbing a hand on the back of his neck, “They get really excited when someone’s at the door.”

Neo smiled as the white dog covered his hand in saliva with its fervent licks. “Don't worry about it, I love animals.”

Sans grinned and led Neo and the two dogs inside, shutting the door behind them. Rapid footsteps descended the stairs as Papyrus came running down. “I’m so sorry about Missile!” he apologised, taking the white pup from Neo’s arms. “She was in my room and when you knocked, she was gone.” Papyrus stroked the tiny dog in his arms and then set her down on the ground.

“Don't worry about the dogs; they weren't any trouble at all,” Neo reassured as the black doberman sniffed his hand once again.

Sans sat on the couch and Rocco leapt on top of the couch and laid on top of him. “Well I might as well introduce you to these rascals.” Sans rubbed the dog-on-his-lap’s head “This is Rocco, he’s a real affectionate one,” and pointed to the doberman with it's nose against Neo’s hand, “and that's Sacha.” Sacha licked Neo’s metal hand and nosed at it until he scratched the animal’s head.

Papyrus pointed to his tiny white dog, “That's Missile; she has a nasty habit of stealing stuff, so don't leave anything small unattended!”

Neo looked over to Missile, who had a small white bone in her mouth, and the dog looked back. “So, do you know when my brother is getting here?” Neo asked, cocking his head to the side.

“Oh, he should be getting here soon,” Papyrus remarked as there was a knock at the door and more barking. There was a loud “oof” from Sans as Rocco stood up on top of him and jumped off of the couch. The three dogs barreled towards the door in a barking mess. Neo grabbed Sacha, Sans grabbed Rocco, and Papyrus picked up Missile, before they opened the door.

“Hello Mettaton!” Papyrus greeted, the puppy in his arms trying to go over and lick Neo’s brother.

Mettaton stepped inside and greeted his boyfriend before noticing Neo. “Neo! It's been awhile hasn’t it!” Mettaton embraced his brother in a tight hug before letting go.

“It has been awhile, hasn’t it? So, how has your show been?”

Mettaton’s lips turned upwards in a smile and told his brother about his show and all the fun it’s been.

“Now that everyone has caught up!” Papyrus exclaimed as he set down Missile, “Why don't we play some games?”

* * *

After some bickering over what game to play, the group decided on Apples to Apples (chosen by Papyrus)  and then Dance Dance Revolution (chosen by Mettaton).

The group sat in a small circle around the game box and each had a deck of seven cards in their hands. They had decided that Neo would be the Card judge first. The first green card was Misunderstood; the three contemplated their choices and set down the first three cards: Party poopers, Chickens, and Shooting stars. Neo took a moment to think and then chose ‘shooting stars’; Sans triumphantly took the green card and the game continued on. Mettaton judged ‘Expensive’ and picked Diamonds, Papyrus’s card. Next, Papyrus judged ‘Sweet’, choosing ‘Puppy kisses’ from Sans’s deck. Sans pulled a green card out of the deck and read it aloud, “Snug: Cozy, warm, comfortable,” and then set it down and waited for the red cards to roll in. Once they were all laid out, he picked them up and chuckled, “Ok, so they are: Bachelor parties, Electricity…” he paused for dramatic effect as Neo’s face turned a pink hue, “And Friction.” Sans wiggled his eyebrows, threw down the ‘Friction’ card, and awaited for somebody to claim the green card. Neo reached forward and claimed his prize with a red face and a few chuckles from Mettaton.

The game progressed and Sans came up with a great idea halfway through. Grabbing the blank cards and a pen, Sans scribbled down a name on each of the four blank cards and held them out for everyone to choose from. Everyone picked a card and looked at the name written down on it and added it to their deck and progressed through the game.

The first special card to be used was when Mettaton was the judge; he had pulled out the ‘Fabulous’ card and awaited the red responses. Flipping them over, it didn't take him a second to choose out his own name among them and declare it the winner. Papyrus claimed his card with a wide grin and a kiss on the cheek from Mettaton.

When Neo was judging ‘Innocent’, he chose the card labeled ‘Papyrus’ and Sans claimed the green card and pat his brother on the back.

The third card was placed down by Mettaton with a little laugh as Sans read it aloud. “Alright, Adorable. We have Rabbits, Ninjas an-...” Sans cut himself off before reading the last one and placed it on the floor. Neo leaned in and read the name on the card. ‘Neo’. A feverish blush rose across his face again as Mettaton claimed the green card and winked at his brother.

The game went around a few times , everyone was one card away from winning and Sans was the judge. Pulling out a green card, he set it down on the floor and did a dramatic reading: “Sexy,” he wiggled his eyebrows, “Arousing, Appealing, Seductive.” Neo froze as Sans read the card aloud while Papyrus and Mettaton put down their cards.

Noticing that his brother froze, Mettaton leaned over to get a glimpse at his cards. “Ooooooooh? What's this darling?” Mettaton took one of the cards between his fingertips and grinned mischievously.

“Shut up Mettaton!” Neo exclaimed, desperately trying to put down other cards, but Mettaton wouldn't allow it; setting down Neo’s card for him, Mettaton let Sans do the judging.

Sans skimmed his eyes over the three decisive cards that would determine the winner of the game. Sans grinned widely and laughed at one of the cards. “Alright, without a doubt the winner is this guy.” He set down the card as Neo buried his blushing face in his hands. The card read ‘Sans’. Sans gave the game winner a pat on the back as Mettaton and Papyrus we're in a fit of giggles. “It's alright kid,” Sans reassured the embarrassed teenager, “that's a very popular opinion.”

Neo wanted to crawl into a pit.

* * *

After Mettaton and Papyrus had gotten over their giggle fit and Neo had calmed the blood that had rushed to his face, Sans ordered a pizza for the group while Mettaton enthusiastically set up the plastic DDR mats. When the pizza had been ordered and was on its way, Neo decided to sit out the first round and sit on the dog infested couch.

“So who wants to go first? We only have two mats so we’ll have to take turns,” Papyrus announced as he flattened the mats.

“You and Mettaton can go first, I’ll sit back this round,” stated Sans as he tried to find a spot on the couch and eventually settled on the floor below Rocco, who leaned over to lick the side of his face.

Mettaton and Papyrus stood in the centre of the pads as they chose a difficulty and a song. Papyrus had settled for Easy and Mettaton for Difficult. The two began the stage, Mettaton hitting every arrow with flawless grace as he focuses his eyes on the screen. Papyrus, on the other hand, missed most of his notes but managed to get into a slow rhythm eventually. Needless to say, Mettaton won with a flawless victory.

“How did you do so well at that!” Papyrus panted, sitting down on the floor by the mat.

“Who could be bad at dancing with legs like these?” Mettaton stuck a pose and rubbed his fingertips up his legs.

Sans got up and stretched his body before moving to the dance floor, “My turn Mettaton.”

Neo’s brother moved off the dance floor and Papyrus got up to stand in the centre of the pad. The two of them chose the easiest setting and began to tap the arrows with their feet. “Fuck it,” Sans uttered halfway through and crouched in the middle of the arrow pad. The short man began to hit the different arrows with his hands, much to his brother’s dislike.

“Sans! That's cheating!”

“You're still winning ya know.” Sans purposely messed up a few hits and his brother took the lead and ended victorious.

Papyrus stepped off of the pad and walked over to the couch. “Stop being such a lazy bones, Neo. Go have some fun!” Papyrus pulled Neo off the couch and took his place in the pile of dogs, Missile moving to sit on his lap.

“Fine,” Neo complained and stepped next to Sans on the dancing pads.

“You ready, kiddo?” Sans selected the intermediate difficulty and Neo chose Difficult.

Neo sighed, “Ready as I’ll ever be.”

Sans lazily hit the notes and managed to get almost of them, while Neo was rocking it. Like his brother, Neo was extremely competitive and an amazing dancer.

“That's my little darling!” Mettaton called from his seat on the floor next to Papyrus.

Sans cursed under his breath when he glanced over to Neo, to see him grinning mischievously at the screen with his sharp incisors showing through his grin. Neo won the game by a landslide, despite Sans’s high score.

“Wow..” was all Sans could manage to say through his tired panting.

“Didn't expect me to be so good did ya?” Neo boasted, not even breaking a sweat.

“You and Mettaton are more alike than I thought!” Papyrus called from the couch.

“You two should do a dance off,” Sans started and was interrupted by the doorbell and then the sound of three barking dogs. “After we eat that is.”

After Neo and Sans ate almost three quarters of the pizza and the other two had their share, It was time for Neo and Mettaton to face off.

“Give him a bad time Neo,” Sans encouraged, sitting almost directly behind Neo.

“Show him what your legs are made of!” Papyrus hollered from the couch.

The two brothers set the difficulty to nightmare and played a random song. Taking a synchronised deep breath, the two began to move their feet. The nightmare mode was considerably more difficult than that of the other settings. The brothers were extremely competitive as they kept their eyes glued to the screen, hitting the arrows in synch.

More than halfway through the game, Neo quickly put one of his feet down and the pad slid out from under him. “Shit!” He exclaimed, falling backwards onto the ground behind him. There was a grunt of pain from under him as Sans was crushed by Neo’s weight. From the couch, Papyrus was bursting out in gasping laughter.

“Can't believe you fell for me,” Sans joked as Neo stumbled to get off of Sans and Papyrus’s laughter stopped.

“Sans, Did you really just?”

Sans only winked.

A loud “YES!” came from the still dancing Mettaton as he beat the level and looked down at the two on the floor next to him. “Oh did I miss something?”

Sans chuckled at Mettaton’s confusion and Neo slowly joined in and the two became an unstoppable force of laughter. Soon, Mettaton and Papyrus joined in and the group forgot what they were even laughing about.

Suddenly, Neo stopped. A loud rumble of thunder came from the world outside. Neo had completely stopped moving and his fists clenched tightly knuckles becoming white and metal fist creaking at the pressure.

Mettaton had froze and his face paled when he noticed Neo. His brother was shaking and his eyes were tearing up. That's when the thought hit him. He had completely forgotten about the thunderstorm.

“Hey uh, kiddo?” Sans asked, his voice filled with worry, “Are you alright?”

Neo didn't respond.

“Mettaton? What's going on? You know right? You're his brother,” Papyrus was concerned and the dogs had noticed everyone’s distress at the current situation.

Mettaton’s mouth was dry when he looked for the words to speak. “H-he.. Neo. My brother, he,” Mettaton swallowed, “he suffers from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. He gets these really bad panic attacks during thunderstorms. I completely forgot about the storm,” his eyes started to water, “I don't know what to do other than wait.” By the time he was finished, Mettaton was crying and looking to his brother.

Sans took a deep breath, “Alright, well we need to keep him from hurting himself, first off. Papyrus, throw me a pillow,” Sans caught the pillow and went to work, gently prying open Neo’s hands and placing the pillow in his grasp. The sound of metal pressing down on metal stopped as Neo squeezed the pillow for dear life. Mettaton got up and closed the blinds to the window, blocking out the storm as best as he could.

Thunder boomed outside and Neo’s eyes were tightly shut as his grip on the pillow tightened.

“Neo, hey. Kiddo,” Sans tried to get a response but the only thing he received was silence, “I guess now we can only wait.”

****  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my first time writing panic attacks and I hope it wasn't too bad or inaccurate. I know that everyone faces them differently and I read a lot before finalizing it. Anyways, The next chapter will be the reason i have the archive warning set to "Graphic Depictions of Violence" so be warned.


	5. Traumatized

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The accident that took place ten years ago.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Two chapters in a day!! Just a little warning, this chapter is Graphic I guess. Enjoy your sadness

_“Mom? are we home yet?” the nine year old cried, swinging his legs and gently tapping the back of the passenger seat in front of him._

_“Just a little longer now, fifteen minutes max, Neo,” the mother said, her voice milky and sweet. She loved her son and dau-, no just sons. She loved her sons with every piece of her being. She had both of her eyes on the dark road ahead of her, the headlights on full brightness and windshield wipers working against the pouring rain._

_“Mom? What time is it?” Mettaton asked, his voice quiet._

_She removed her eyes from the road for a split second and then darted them back, “It's almost eight o’clock dear, almost home.”_

_Mettaton yawned tiredly and got comfortable against the seat as Neo did the same, resting his right arm on the ledge by the window and looking out at the forest that ran by him._

_Cars passed on the highway, red ones, blue ones, black ones, and white ones that were as pure as the slushy snow had once been. It was almost Christmas time and the children were looking forward to the presents from their mom and dad. Neo wanted a new baseball mitt and bat while mettaton wanted toy cars and a 3-D train book._

_Neo hummed a tune to a song that he enjoyed and closed his eyes and faced the window. Mettaton slowly drifted to sleep at the humming of the car’s engine and patter of the rain._

_A small buzz sounded from the phone in the front seat divider. The loving mother reached for the device and opened it, giving it a quick glance._

> _**can't w8 2 c u n the kids 2night!** _

_She smiled and darted her eyes back to the road for a moment before texting back a reply_

> _**Can’t w8 2 c u 2 dar-** _

_There was a loud and echoing honk from a car as thunder rumbled. She dropped the phone and but both hands on the wheel and her two eyes on the road. Ahead was a car coming straight towards her, headlights blaring. Mettaton woke up from his slumber and Neo looked around outside his window. Swerving away from the car, she narrowly avoided the oncoming traffic but was posed with a new obstacle. Before she had time to react, the vehicle slid off the side of the road and tumbled down the steep edge. The mother let out a loud shriek that came to a hasty and merciful end._

_Cars pulled over on the highway as terrified bystanders called ‘911’, telling the operators how a car had tumbled off the side of the road._

_Mettaton opened his eyes and looked around, he was upside down and smoke billowed around him. Beside him, was Neo. The boy was unconscious and his right arm and face were unseen. Unbuckling himself, Mettaton squirmed around the inside of the brutally crashed car and made his way to his brother._

_“Neo, Neo! Wake up!” Mettaton shook his brother and didn't get a response. Turning to the front seat to see his mother, he was confronted with a horrifying sight. The woman had shards of glass impaled into her face that were being pressed deeper into the skin by the bloody airbag. His mother showed no movement as blood continued to stain the pristine, white airbag a blood red. The air reeked of iron and smoke as Mettaton stared horrified at his dead mother._

_The smell of smoke only got stronger as he stared at the corpse, the flames only moving closer. A scorching heat touched the nine year old’s back as he let out an ear piercing screech. He rolled on the crushed roof of the car in an attempt to put out the flame to no avail. The flame moved to his face and began to eat away at the tender skin around his eye, burning the flesh away. He tried to cry, but no tears would fall. All he could do was scream. Mettaton continued to roll until the fire was gone. He couldn't see out of his right eye and his back burned when it touched the tattered remains of his shirt._

_He desperately cried for help. But nobody came._

_The air reeked of a metallic stench, smoke, and charred flesh as he forced himself over to Neo. He pushed the red button and Neo slid down to the ceiling of the car, held up by his right arm. His brother had shards of glass stabbed into and around his eye. His arm was bloodied and trapped between the crushed sides of the car. Neo’s arm dripped blood as he dangled by it._

_Mettaton put his ear up to his brother’s chest and listened for breaths. They were shallow, but present. His eyes welled up with tears that wouldn't come as he vocally cried, sobs echoing through the demolished car._

_He heard sirens approaching and scooted over to his brother and kept him close, not wanting the flames to scorch him. Muffled voices came from outside and came closer._

_“Extinguish the flames first!” One called out as a white, pillowy substance flaked through the air and the fires went out._

_“He- Help,” Mettaton managed to sob out, his voice dry and tired._

_“Someone’s alive in there! Get them out!” A man crawled in through the narrow space and reached a hand out towards the boy who clutched to his brother. “Come on kid.”_

_“No!” Mettaton hoarsely sobbed out, “Neo’s hurt.” He moved out of the way, showing the man his brother._

_“Alright, I’ll be right back.” The man crawled backwards out of the car and spoke to the surrounding people before coming back in. The man crawled past Mettaton and looked at Neo, Grimacing at the child’s practically severed arm. “Alright kid, We’re going to need to get you out first, come with me._

_Mettaton looked to his brother and mom with a concerned eye before the man pulled him out of the car. The boy looked at the car and it's awful state. The windshield ,as well as the other windows, were smashed to pieces and he car was on it's top. There were dents everywhere and there was no way the car would be functioning again. People in white coats with long stretchers descended the hill and set them down._

_Not a minute later, the man came back out with Neo in his arms. In the better light, Mettaton could see his brother’s face and arm. His face was mottled with blood and his hair was clumped together by the crimson substance. But his arm was much worse; there was nothing below the elbow and the rest was a bloody stump. Mettaton clenched his other eye shut in horror._

_Paramedics led the boys over to the two stretchers that had already been brought down the hill and laid them down. Mettaton winced in pain as the fabric touched his exposed flesh._

_“W- where’s my.. my mom…” Mettaton wailed in pain as he lie motionless on the stretcher. He never got his response._

* * *

_Neo opened his eyes slowly and sat up, wincing at the pain in his right arm. Where was he? The boy looked around the white, pristine room and recognised it as a hospital room. Why was he in a hospital?_

_That's when it clicked._

_Memories flooded back to him. He was in the car when his mother swerved off the hill, headlights blaring in his eyes. The car rolled down the hill and he screamed as he felt his arm get crushed and eye pierced. Thunder rumbled around him and he couldn't distinguish if it was the car getting crushed or the sound from the clouds. The intense pain that stabbed through his arm drove him to unconsciousness as he slipped away._

_The boy lifted his left hand up to his face and felt a cloth over his right eye. What had happened was real. Fear pooling in his stomach, Neo put both hands in front of him and his eyes only picked up on one. He turned his head and looked at the white bandages wrapped around the area his elbow would be if he still had one._

_He felt like he was going to be sick._

* * *

_Mettaton jerked upwards and felt a sharp pain stab his back and up his shoulder. He remembered every gruesome detail: his mother’s bloody corpse, his brother’s severed arm, and the feel of flames racing down his back. The boy reached up to touch his right eye, to find only bandages wrapped around his face. He looked down with his one good eye and saw his torso was thickly wrapped in gauze and bandages._

_Mettaton raced his eyes across the room, looking for his brother, but he was all alone in the room. He wanted to see his brother, to know he was okay. He wanted to see his dad’s face, the man who raised and accepted him. He wanted to be home._

* * *

> _**can't w8 2 c u n the kids 2night!** _

_He typed the quick text, hit send and received a reply that made his blood run cold._

> _**Can’t w8 2 c u 2 dar-** _

_That was an hour ago. His wife and kids should've been home by now._

_Another hour passed; he received a phone call from the hospital, telling him his wife and kids had gotten into an accident and were in the hospital._

_Another hour had passed; He was in the hospital and had been informed that his wife had died instantly and that his two children were alive and receiving surgery and medical treatment. Neo had glass lodged in his eye and a severed arm; he would never get to play baseball. Mettaton had third degree burns down his face and sides; he would never see that picture book in 3-D. The father broke down crying in the hospital._

_Four hours passed; Neo’s surgery was a success (if it could even be called that). The boy only lost the lower half of his right arm, partial eyesight in his right eye, and would have serious scars over and around his eye. Mettaton would only suffer scars down his face and side and complete eyesight loss in his right eye._

_The sun rose the next day and Neo woke up; he could finally see one of his beloved sons, but he didn't get what he was expecting. Neo looked depressed and scared. The boy wouldn't stop looking at his stump arm and looking down at his single hand. “Hey, Neo,” he greeted, his voice patient and calm, “how are you feeling?”_

_“Where’s mom, where's my brother,” he whimpered, tears beginning to fall as he embraced his dad with single arm._

_“Your brother is fine, my son,” He tried to comfort him, unable to say anything about his son’s mother._

_“Mom’s gone. Isn't she?”_

_One hour later; Mettaton woke up. The doctors moved the two brothers into the same room so that they would be able to keep each other company when visiting hours were over. The two boys’s right eyes were bandaged over and looked so similar once again._

_The boys pointed out each other’s bandages and described what each other’s face looked like to each other. They played vocal games like “eye spy” and “would you rather”. At least the two were trying to make the best of it._

_Two weeks later; the boys were released from the hospital, mettaton had to occasionally go back for checkups on his burn injuries and Neo for his arm, but the twins managed. They were just glad to be home, even if part of the family was missing._

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not sorry ;)  
> (Don't text and drive!)


	6. Aftermath

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for not updating in, what? a week? Sorry about that...  
> Anyways, I hope you enjoy because I'll have another chapter and some doodles out soon!  
> (doodles will be posted on my art blog on tumblr @Splatter-cat)

Neo had been sitting on the floor for around ten minutes before he shoved his face into the pillow in his grasp. Tears fell from his face and were absorbed by the fabric. The dogs whined, sensing the stressful air that surrounded the four. Papyrus worked to soothe the dogs as best as he could while Mettaton and Sans sat around Neo. Mettaton was afraid to touch Neo, in fear that he might hurt him, as Sans gently rubbed the left side of his back to sooth him.

Ten more minutes passed and Neo’s breathing slowed. The boy slowly lifted his head and squinted open his eyes. As his brain recognized that he wasn't in a hospital bed, his left hand dropped the pillow and went to grasp at his right arm. As flesh met metal, Neo let out a shaky sob and lowered his head. “It’s really gone. It's really gone, isn't it brother?” Neo’s body leaned and collapsed onto Sans’s.

Mettaton scooted towards his brother and gently took his left hand in his own. “Darling, It's alright. That was a long time ago. Everything is better now.” Mettaton ran his thumb against the back of his brother’s hand in small, soothing circles.

“Take deep breaths pal,” Sans adjusted under Neo’s weight.

He took Sans’s advice and filled his air with lungs and slowly exhaled. Neo held his shaking hands in front of his face, clenching and unclenching his fists. The metal hand reacted at the same pace as the normal one. He heard muffled noises in the distance and looked towards where they came from.

Papyrus was walking towards him with a plastic cup in his hand. He crouched down before him and held out the cup, “Do you want some water Neo?” His voice was much quieter than normal as he held out the cup.

Neo nodded slowly and took the cup, his hands tightly clenching the cup as he took a sip. The water was metallic, but quenched the desert of his mouth.

“Don't hold it so tight buddy,” Sans gently placed his fingertips on Neo’s metal ones. Neo loosened his grip on the cup, the plastic seeming to creak in relief.

He finished the cup and handed it back to Papyrus, taking another very deep breath and releasing it. “Sorry for scaring you guys…” Neo looked around at the faces around him.

“No, no! It's okay Neo,” Mettaton soothed.

“It’s alright, kiddo. Would you mind, uh, getting off of me?” Sans awkwardly chuckled as Neo shifted off of him, “Thanks.”

Papyrus sat down and Missile hopped on his lap. “Neo, would you like to stay the night? I don't think it's safe to walk home,” Papyrus pet the white dog on his lap as it licked his hand.

“Yeah, I don't think it's a good idea for you to go home in this, and in your condition,” Sans’s voice was comforting.

Neo hesitated, “I don't want to leave my cat alone. He’s probably out of food by now.”

Papyrus frowned and placed a contemplative hand on his chin, “I could go over and check on him. Burgerpants knows me so it should be fine.” He grinned widely at his idea and stood up, causing Missile to leap away.

Neo put his hand into his pocket and fumbled for his keys, “Be careful, Papyrus. Driving in the rain is dangerous.” The teenager shivered at his own words as he handed the house key to Papyrus.

Papyrus turned to Mettaton as he took the keys, “Do you want to come with? It's lonely to drive alone.”

Mettaton glanced over to his twin, who nodded, before leaving the house with Papyrus.

“Drive safe, bro,” Sans added in as the two closed the front door behind them. It was just Sans, Neo, and the three dogs now. “So… You want to help me feed the dogs?”

Neo blinked at the sudden conversation and shook thoughts out of his head, “Yeah, sure.” Neo pushed himself to his feet, wobbling on his tall legs.

“Woah there stretch, take it easy!” Sans’s hands were placed on the teenager’s back, attempting to keep him from falling.

After a quick thanks, the two opened the pantry and Sans and clicked open a plastic blue container. Upon hearing the click, Sacha and Rocco raced into the kitchen, tripping over Missile. Neo chuckled at the dog’s antics as Sans scooped out a cup full of the brown pellets. Rocco let out a deep bark and put his front paws up on Sans’s chest in attempt to get the scoop. Sans gently pushed the dog down before dumping the pellets into a metal bowl. Rocco dug in as the other two dogs waited patiently for their fill. Sans handed the scoop to Neo and let him fill the bowl, this time, both Sacha and Missile tried to climb him. The two finished feeding the dogs and returned to the main room to lounge on the couch.

Neo let out a hefty sigh, exhausted from what had happened earlier. He stared distantly at the ceiling, watching the black specs of vision move across his eyes. Sans sat beside him, simply admiring the metalwork of Neo’s arm. The metal was a cool grey color with three indented strips along the length. The hand had five fingers with blackened joints and scratched up fingertips. Sans gazed at the arm in awe, not realizing that Neo had taken notice of his continued fascination.

Neo smiled and relaxed further into the couch. “I’ve had it since I was thirteen, six years now.” Neo lifted his arm and admired the metal himself, “I don't know where I’d be now if it wasn't for this arm.”

Sans lifted his gaze to the other’s face, seeing it was proud but saddened. “What happened to your arm?”

Neo looked down with a pained smile, “I guess you deserve to know, dealing with the aftermath and all. When I was nine, my brother, Mom and I were driving home in a storm and we got in an accident. I passed out from the pain of my arm being crushed…” he grabbed his elbow, as if the pain was still present. “My brother was conscious throughout the entire thing, I can't imagine how he deals with it. I guess he’s the stronger one out of us. Anyways, I lost my arm in that and got these nasty scars,” he motioned to the three, nasty scars over his right eye. “Ever since, I’ve been terrified of cars and thunderstorms. It's hard to work around, but I manage. I’ve lived like this for ten years, so I guess I’m just used to it,” Neo’s voice was pained as he spoke, wearing a smile that matched his voice.

Sans offered a comforting smile to the teenager before speaking, “My dad, Gaster, when Paps and I were younger, he got in an accident and was in a really bad state of mind. The guy got himself in a nasty accident and didn't really remember who I was. He completely dissociated from Papyrus and I,” Sans looked sorrowfully at his feet, “I miss the relationship I had with him, and even though he’s gotten better I have trouble forgiving him even though it isn't really his fault. Papyrus goes to visit him at least once a week, but I feel bad not visiting him. He’s completely alone.”

Neo gently placed his hand on Sans’s shoulder. “I kinda get how you feel. After my mother died, my dad was a complete wreck. His two sons were in the hospital for weeks with life threatening injuries. We are all he has now. My brother and I don't visit him as much as we should, with college, work and all,” Neo sighed. “We should both probably visit our dads sometime. I’d probably make their day.”

The shorter of the two looked up at the teenager’s relieved face, “It probably would, wouldn't it?”

* * *

The drive was quiet with no radio playing and a strangely uncomfortable silence. Papyrus stared out the front window, his eyes glued to the road ahead. Mettaton sat beside him, nervously laying a hand on his right side.

“Is Neo going to be alright? I've never seen him like that before,” Papyrus nervously clenched the wheel in front of him.

“He will be. I hope. Neo does that when there's a storm or when he's forced into a car,” Mettaton looked down at his pink boots as he spoke.

The driver frowned at the road, “It's because of the accident, isn't it.”

Mettaton was quiet as Papyrus parked the car in an empty spot and got out. The sky was dark and the remaining storm clouds covered the light of the stars. Mettaton felt something grasp his hand, turning to see Papyrus giving him a warm, comforting smile.

The two went up to Neo’s apartment and took a minute fumbling with the key and door. Once it was open, a brown cat could be seen curled up on the table top.

“I’ll go feed Burgerpants, you get things your brother might need, okay?” Papyrus said, before splitting from Mettaton.

The younger teen went into his brother’s room and looked around for things he would need. His contact lens case, phone charger, and a change of clothes. As Mettaton gathered the essentials, he stopped in the bathroom, gazing at his own reflection in the mirror. Shiny, black locks were perfectly styled over the right side of his face. He lifted a hand and swept the hair from his face, revealing  paled scars and a sewn shut eye. He traced the outlines of the tissue, unable to feel his hand touching the nerveless skin. He hated to look at it. He hated when people saw it. He hated how ugly it made him feel.

There were quiet footsteps as Papyrus walked into the bathroom and behind his boyfriend. He could tell what Mettaton was thinking and pulled him into a tight hug. “You’re beautiful and handsome,” He whispered, nuzzling the other’s hair. Papyrus lifted his hand and cupped Mettaton’s face with it, gently rubbing a thumb along the scarred tissue. “Don't let the scars define you. The great Papyrus won’t allow anyone to say otherwise.”

Mettaton smiled and the two exchanged a chaste kiss before taking Neo’s belongings and heading back.

The two shared a comfortable conversation in the car, asking about school and work. The short drive seemed shorter with the calm conversation. The couple stepped inside and shut the door quietly.

On the couch, lay the sleeping Neo and Sans. The shorter of the two had his head resting on Neo’s side as the taller slumped over around him. The two looked comfortable and at peace with their current sleeping arrangements.

Papyrus smiled fondly at his brother as he placed a blanket over the two, letting them sleep more comfortably.

Mettaton quickly snapped a picture of the two before setting down Neo’s belongings and following Papyrus up the stairs. Mettaton quickly changed into more comfortable sleeping clothes. before entering the other’s room.   
The bedroom contained a desktop computer, a bookshelf filled with sci-fi and fantasy books, a pirate flag, and a large racecar bed. On the bed sat Papyrus, wearing a cute skeleton onesie. Mettaton chuckled fondly at the pajamas and went to sit down next to Papyrus.

“I’ve never seen my brother so comfortable around someone he recently met before,” Papyrus reminisced, leaning back onto the pillows.

Mettaton followed suit and placed his head on the other’s chest, “I wonder what happened while we were gone. Neo usually has so much trouble falling asleep.”

Papyrus shimmied down the blankets and pulled the fabric over the two of them, “We can probably ask them about it tomorrow.”

Mettaton only nodded as he fell asleep on the other’s warm chest.

****  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you enjoy the fluffs? I don't know if it was that good, but I hope you guys enjoyed it!


	7. Where do you work?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Looks at date* *Looks at last update*  
> heheh, whoops? Sorry about the lack of writing, but I had no idea where I was going with this fic until now.   
> It's been two weeks, but I hope you're ready for some fun... in the near future. Timeskips will happen, next, maybe one more after that chapter. So be prepared for some shippy stuff to happen then :3

Neo cracked open his eyes revealing a dark room. He took a minute to remember where he was. he sat in an upright position, slumped to the side with a weight on his side. Sans was slumped over, snuggled against Neo’s right side. The shorter shifted a bit when a metal hand accidentally grazed his exposed stomach. Noticing the dark and exposed skin, a red hue tinted Neo’s cheeks. Slowly, he lifted the blanket off of the floor with his foot and laid it across Sans, attempting not to wake him.

Sans began to stir and opened his eyes. He looked straight up at Neo, locking eyes. Sans blinked a few times, noticing his position and gaining his own reddened blush. He chuckled it off and sat up, their shoulders still touching. “So, uh. What time is it? It’s still dark outside,” Sans asked, looking to the darkened window.

Neo patted his pockets to find his phone and pulled out the device. He tapped the home button and the time popped up on the screen along with a notification, “About Four AM.” Unlocking his phone, he checked the notification. There was a cat face emoji with an attached picture. The image displayed the two sleeping together on the couch, Sans’s head on Neo’s side and the two of them sleeping peacefully. “Thanks Mettaton,” he grumbled, dropping the phone onto his lap.

Sans leaned over and peeked at the image, going wide eyed at it. He chuckled and leaned on Neo. “Send that to me,” he managed through his laughter, causing Neo to gently shove him away.

The two continued their laughter and took a minute to calm down, Sans breathing deeply as his lungs struggled to keep up. “Neo, when do you have to go to school?”

“Uh, about seven. We have a while, why do you ask?”

“Just wondering,” Sans got up and stretched his short limbs, making his way to the kitchen and pouring himself a bowl of cereal. He turned to Neo, “Hey, want some?” He held up the red box and gave it a shake.

Agreeing, Neo poured in his milk and added in the mix of bright, dried out marshmallows and brown shapes.

After the two had taken their time eating, they watched the tv at a low volume and simply waited for time to pass. Sacha and Rocco eventually joined them, laying their body’s against the two’s legs. Mettaton and Papyrus began to stir at around six, giving Neo the que to get ready. Snatching up his bag that Mettaton had brought him, he slipped into the bathroom to get ready.

Neo didn't focus on his appearance as much as his brother did, but still had an image to keep up. Stripping and stepping into the cold shower, he cleaned out the dried flakes of gel from his hair and ran his left hand through the wet locks, deeming them clean enough. Stepping out and drying off, he pulled on the clean clothes from the bag. As he slipped on his pants a knock sounded from the door. “Come in,” Neo responded, picking his shirt up from the floor.

“Hey, Want me to walk you to…” Sans stepped in and trailed off, seeing Neo’s bare, muscular chest. He lightly coughed and adverted his eyes, “I can walk you to school if you like.”

Neo pulled on his shirt and chuckled at Sans, “Yeah, sure.” He grinned and shook some wet hair from his face, only for it to stick back on.

Sans frowned and pulled down a towel from the hanger, “Kiddo, you're gonna catch a cold like that. Sit down.” He motioned to the closed toilet seat and sat Neo down. He was now slightly taller than the teenager, but only by an inch or two. Sans chuckled and rubbed the towel through the now shorter’s hair.

“What are you, my dad?” Neo chuckled, leaning back into Sans’s hands. The towel movement was firm but gentle enough not to pull out hair.

“Shut up, I’m just used to doing this for Paps,” Sans retorted, giving Neo a little noogie before removing the towel and running a hand through it. Neo’s hair was dry and soft. The usually spiked hair was now lying mostly flat at odd angles that moved right. “You look stupid,” he chuckled, lying through his teeth.

“You’re not much better, bed-head,” Neo retorted, scuffling up the longer parts of Sans’s hair. His dark brown locks were soft and messy, tangling between Neo’s fingers.

As the two teased each other, the door cracked open and Mettaton stepped in, “Neo, are you done in here? I need to get ready.” He looked at the two and grinned mischievously. “As much as I’d love you two love nerds to hit it off, I need to do my hair. Now shoo.” With that, Mettaton shooed away a denying Sans and a stuttering Neo into an empty hallway.

 

* * *

 

The two had walked to Neo’s school with a calm conversation between them. Snow quietly crunched under their feet as footprints were made. Dark dawn receded on the sky, making way for the light of day.

As they approached the school, Sans slowed his pace. “Hey, Neo.”

“Yeah?” the taller looked down to the source of his name.

“I’ll uh. See ya Wednesday,” Sans pat Neo’s back and turned to leave.

“Text me!” Neo called out, causing Sans to turn around, nod, and be on his way. Satisfied, he continued to the campus doors.

Tiny whispers came from a small group of female students, who marvelled at Neo. “Who was…” ,“Who is he to…”, “It's probably nothing…”, “Friends…”, “...buddy-buddy”, “Ask him…”, “What? No!”

Neo turned his head to the outburst and looked at the three female students.

“I’ll do it then,” one declared as she strolled over to Neo. “Excuse me, Neo isn't it?”

He nodded

“My friend was just wondering what your relationship to that guy was,” The girl pointed her thumb back towards her friend who held her blushing face in pale hands.

Neo’s eyes widened as he nervously rubbed a metal thumb over the strap of his backpack. “Oh him? That's just Sans, a good friend of mine.”

“Ooooh?” the girl looked up to Neo, her friends moving closer to him.

“So, Amy? Is he uh,” the blushing girl rubbed her hands together shyly.

“Yeah! That guy was just his friend.”

The three girls immediately warmed up to him, losing all shyness that they had displayed previously. Neo immediately tensed up as one girl latched to his arm.

“So, how did you meet him?” the one on his arm asked.

“I-I met him at the bar I work at,” Neo stuttered. He was used to people fawning over him, but he hated when they touched him. Fingers ran over his flesh arm, uncomfortably tingling his nerves.

“Oooh what's the bar?”

“Grillby’z,” Neo forced out, his heart racing uncomfortably. He wanted out of this situation and wanted out now.

“HEY PUNK!” A voice boomed from a ways away as a redhead ran towards him and the invaders of personal space.

“Who are you,” one of the females fawning him sneered, turning up her nose to Undyne.

“I think that's a question you’d be better asking to yourselves,” Undyne’s tone was passive-aggressive, “Come on Neo! We gotta get to class!” With that, she grabbed Neo’s prosthetic hand and tugged him away from the angry girls.

Once undyne had declared them far enough away from them, she stopped and let go of Neo’s now aching arm. “Jeez, what was up with them. Why were they goin’ gush over you?”

Neo took a moment to calm his nerves. “I guess one of them had a thing for me? I dunno. They saw me with Sans and thought the wron- uh. They asked me my relation to him.” Neo looked away, not wanting to meet Undyne’s eyes.

“Well, I’m glad you’re good now punk. You should get to class,” With a slap of the back, she sent him off.

 

* * *

 

Neo plopped down on his bed with a hefty sigh. The school day was long, but he luckily never ran into those girls again. He groaned realizing they now knew where he worked and would probably stop by in search of him. Burgerpants gracefully leaped onto the bed with nimble paws and settled himself next to Neo with a purr. The cat placed a comforting paw on Neo’s cold hand and blinked slowly as if to say “I’ll be alright.”

As Neo playfully scratched the animal’s head a buzz sounded from his phone on the desk beside him. The screen displayed a message from Sans.

> **hey kid. you told me to text you so i am. how was school?**
> 
> _Fine I guess. Some girls were coming onto me though. that wasn’t so good_
> 
> **What**
> 
> _Yeah. They latched onto my arms and all that movie trope stuff. They pressured me and now they know where I work…_
> 
> **oh. i think i saw them today. two girls came in and asked when you worked grillby didnt tell them of course.**
> 
> _That's a relief._
> 
> _So, What are you up to?_
> 
> **just finished reading paps his bedtime story. what about you?**
> 
> _Just hanging out in bed with BP. Winding down for what will hopefully be sleep._
> 
> **i get ya there. insomnia?**
> 
> _yeah._
> 
> **wouldnt have guess from how well you slept on the couch**
> 
> _You slept well too_
> 
> **cant deny that can i.**

Neo settled himself under the warm covers and continued conversing with Sans. It was entertaining talking to someone who dealt with similar things. Eventually, he set down the phone and sunk into the warmth of the blankets. He was pulled into a sea of white noise of purring cats and heating units turning on and off within the building.

Not knowing how much time had passed, a buzz came from his phone. It had been an hour of blankly staring into the void of the ceiling

> **if youre reading this, it's either the morning or you can't sleep. anyways. just kinda close your eyes and imagine a nice scenario. everything is happy and the weather is just how you like it. it works for me sometimes, i guess you should try it out. that's all really. sleep well**
> 
> _I’ll try it_

Closing his eyes, Neo lets his mind wander. The new moon is absent from the starry night sky and chilly New Year's air bites soothingly at his skin. He stands on a bridge above calming dark water that refects the sky back up at him. Both hands firmly grasped on the railing. A single bright firework goes off in the sky, shining a brilliant pink and blue combination into the sky.

Before he knew it, sleep held him in its clutches.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Foreshadowing maybe? Nah. I don't plan that far ahead (Or do I?)


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is so short...   
> Im sorry.

Neo peeled open his sleeping eyes as his noon alarm blared. Sleep seemed to come a lot easier thanks to the method Sans had taught him.

Groaning and stretching his arms, Neo got out of bed and readied himself for work. He had to get to Grillby’z by one so he rushed through a morning routine. Gelling his hair hair, feeding burgerpants, shoving breakfast down his throat, and put in contact lenses.

All went flawlessly until he stumbled around his bathroom for his contact lenses, finding them nowhere. He checked the time; 12:15.

“Crap, crap, crap!” He repeated, the lenses seeming to have disappeared. The bathroom was a mess of upturned bottles and towels. Letting out an exhausted groan, he left the bathroom and fumbled through his drawer.

Pulling out a long and black case, he opened the container and held up a pair of foggy glasses. The lenses looked old, like they hadn't been touched in months. The black frames were thin and slightly chipped.

Not wanting to be any more late, he slipped on the eyewear and headed out the door. Neo felt ridiculous wearing glasses. They didn't suit him at all, making him look like a disproportionate nerd.

Upon entering the bar, only five minutes late, Neo received a questioning look from Grillby.

“I did not know you wore contacts. Did you misplace them today?” He talked coolly as he placed down a shiny, clear cup.

“Yeah,” Neo groaned, sitting down at the empty bar, “I usually don't wear these because they don't look good.”

“Nonsense, glasses make anyone look good,” Grillby pushed up the nose of his glasses with two fingers, enticing a chuckle from Neo.

The day went on as per usual, families coming in for lunch and a few regulars and newcomers dropping by for burgers and drinks. After serving customers for about five hours, Neo leaned against the bar for a break. Conversations flowed through the room, talk of girlfriends, jobs, and other various subjects. The bell above the door chimed as customers came in and seated themselves.

A familiar customer sat down in front of Neo at the bar, gazing up at the tall bartender. “Hey kiddo, how's it been?.”

Looking up from his hands, Neo saw Sans sitting down in front of him. A gentle and pleased smile grew on his face. “Ah, it's been fine. I haven't seen those girls today, luckily.”

“That's good, hopefully they won't come in today… Or ever,” Sans nodded, mumbling out the last part with a venomous tone. “So, what's up with the glasses.”

“Uh heh,” an embarrassed chuckle escaped from Neo’s mouth, “I couldn't find my contact lenses, I was in a rush, and yeah. I look pretty dumb, don't I?”

At that, Sans chuckled and laid a comforting hand on Neo’s metal one, “Don’t worry, you look cute.”

Neo could feel his entire face heat up at the comment. “Ah.. Thanks,” he managed, through the overpowering redness taking over his face.

The two lightly conversed, Neo balancing the tasks serving drinks, taking orders and talking with Sans. The older of the two patiently waited as he drank a glass of cold red condiment. When the bar’s population began to run thinner as the night progressed, Grillby gave Neo the ‘OK’ to take a break.

“So, how've Sacha, Rocco, and Missile been?” Neo started, placing himself on a barstool next to Sans.

“Oh yeah, they're good. I’m sure they’d love to s-” Sans stopped suddenly as he noticed a trio of young ladies come into the bar. “Speak of the devil,” he hissed under his breath.

“Sans?” Neo asked, then turning to the direction of his glare. Upon seeing the girls, he immediately turned back to Sans, an uneasy look pasted across his face.  

The trio walked around the bar for a moment before noticing the two at the bar. “Neo!” One called out, merrily skipping over to the bartender. “We've been trying to meet up with you here all week! I wish you would’ve told us your hours.” She pouted, her shrill voice becoming fakely sullen.

“What are your work hours! I want to see you in that darling bartender outfit more often.”

“You look so professional, I wish I worked here.”

“When did you get glasses? They look super cute!”

The three bombarded him with questions, not even giving him time to answer as he cringed backwards, his back brushing against Sans.

Noticing Neo’s uneasy body language, Sans spoke up. “Excuse me,” he grunted, getting the girls to notice his presence as well, “I was trying to have a conversation with my friend.”

The girls glared daggers back at Sans, as if they could get him to leave by just their own thoughts. “We were trying to talk to him too.”

“Yeah, isn’t that right Neo?”

He stiffened, hearing the girl direct the attention to himself. “Actually, I was trying to talk to Sans,” he said, trying to sound less meek.

One of the girl's expression changed from a smile to mock hurt. “I thought you would like to talk to some pretty girls,” she boasted, “anyways, you at least owe us a conversation.”

“Yeah, we came here the past two days to try to see you.”

“It caused us a lot of trouble you know.”

By then, Sans was bristling with anger, trying his hardest not to snap. “Neo doesn't owe you anything,” he hissed, teeth gritting together, “you're the ones who were causing him trouble.”

The girls were taken aback by Sans harsh tone and stinging words. They stood dumbfounded for a moment before one spoke up. “Amy, let's just go,” she murmured, voice meek and soft.

Amy stood tall, showing she wasn't yet defeated “We’ll see you next time, Neo. Bye bye~” she left the bar, waggling her fingers back at him in a glitzy wave.

Neo stood silent, watching the girls leave the bar. Letting out a heavy breath, he turned to Sans who looked back gently.

“You alright kid? Those girls are pretty irritating if you ask me,” Sans placed a comforting hand on Neo's back and gently rubbed.

“Yeah, I'm fine. I'm really not that good at handling those kinds of things,” Neo mumbled, nervously running his hand through the hair on the back of his head. The cool metal pricking at the back of his head.

“Don't worry, Neo. I’m sure they'll leave you alone eventually. Just don't let them get the better of you okay?”

Neo nodded and took a deep breath, forcing himself to sit up tall in mock confidence.

“So,” Sans stated, brightening his tone, “when do you get out on winter break?”

“Finals are next week,” Neo groaned, slumping his back against the bar, “I'm mostly free after that. Why do you ask?”

Sans set down the empty glass of ketchup, leaning his elbow against the bar. “Just wondering,” he didn't meet Neo's eyes as a small blush creeped up his cheeks, “there's just a robotics exhibit at the museum. Would you like to go see it? I’ll take you.” When Sans looked back to meet Neo's eyes, the bartender was wide eyed and grinning so wide it seemed his face would split in two..

“I would love to!” He practically squealed, enthusiasm leaking out in any way it could. Neo's joy was highly contagious, spreading to Sans within seconds.

Neo felt like he could burst. Going to a robotics related event and going on a date with Sans. He mentally hit himself for that assumption. It was probably just Sans wanting to do something as friends. As much as Neo told himself this, he couldn't help but hope it was something else.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HAHA ENJOY. NEXT CHAPTER GETS CUTE AND I AM ALREADY HALFWAY DONE WITH IT.


	9. Museum

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ha ha, So you know how my chapters lately have been under 2000 words? Well to make up for it, HERE 3400 WORDS. It took me two days to get this out because I kept getting exhausted and running out of energy. Anyways, Enjoy your fluff!

Neo collapsed on his bed, exhausted from a week of midterms. With all of the hands on courses he took, Neo's hands were exhausted from building small contraptions and only worsened when written tests came into play.

At school in the mornings, he stuck close to Undyne in hopes that she would ward away the girls. It worked mostly until Undyne left and the trio stalked up to him like wildcats about to pounce on their prey. The leader of the pride, Amy, fawned on him, clutching to his arms closely. The other two girls, who Neo later learned as Claire and Olivia, fawned on him to a lesser extent.

Neo pulled out his phone;10:30 Pm. The light of the screen illuminated the dimly lit room, casting sharp shadows across the wall. His phone began to buzz at an incoming call.

“Hello?”

“Hello Neo. Sorry to bother you at a late hour,” it was Grillby, “but Papyrus wouldn't pick up on the first two calls and Sans is here, passed out on the counter. I need to close up the bar soon…”

“Don't worry, I'll be there in a bit to get him. Don't sweat it.”

“Thank you Neo,” he sighed hanging up the call.

Neo re-dressed himself and shoved his phone back into his pocket before exiting his apartment into the dimly lit hallway.

The neon lights that hung above the bar were shut off when he got there. The doors were unlocked and the bar was empty except for Grillby and his two kids that sat at the bar with cups of juice and soda. The shorter kid ,with blazing red hair just like his father, turned to Neo and grinned widely. “Hey Neo! Are you here to pick up Sans,” the kid got up and ran over to Neo.

He gave the kid a hearty noogie, “Yeah Heats, how’s school been?”

“Aw man, the absolute WORST! But we're gonna be on break soon so that's good!” Heats jumped around excitedly beside Neo, looking at his metal hand that protruded from his jacket.

“It's good to see you Neo, anything new?” The teen still seated at the bar asked, her hair dyed a magnificent green.

“Not really, I just finished midterms and I'm on break now.” Neo scratched at the back of his neck, “How's Alex? The two of you are dating right?”

Fuku blushed at the mention of her purple haired girlfriend and nodded quietly, “Yeah. Ah! I heard from my dad that you and Sans been getting along well. How's that going?”

Then it was Neo's turn to have his face grow red. “Heh, yeah. We're going to a science exhibit during the break,” Neo said, running a hand through his messy black hair.

“Neo why is your face so red?!” Heats asked innocently, tugging on Neo's arm.

Fuku chuckled, “I hope you have fun with that. Anyways, you should probably be taking Sans home now, that counter doesn't look to comfortable.”

“Yes,” Grillby nodded, looking over at his kids, “and you two should probably be getting to bed soon. It's getting late.”

“But daaad!,” Heats whined.

“Come on Heats, I'll make you some ice cream,” Fuku soothed, taking her brother's hand and leaving the room.

Grillby assisted Neo in moving Sans onto his back, deciding piggy-back would be the best way of carrying him home.

“Thank you so much for doing this, I would've driven him home but the kids an-”

“Really boss, it's no problem. I realise how hard it is to be a single parent.”

“Please, just call me Grillby.”

“Alright Grillby. I’ll see you on my next shift. Tell Fuku I wish her good luck with Alex.”

“Will do.”

With that, Neo set out into the cold night with Sans on his back. He was thankful for all the weightlifting he did because Sans was not the lightest person. The older man wasn't fat, more so he was fatbuilt.

Sans's warm breath beat against Neo's neck, causing him to nervously shift Sans around on his back. Sans's eyes drifted open sleepily and wrapped his arms around Neo's neck. “You feel your Sans crawling on your back,” he mumbled drunkenly, squirming around a bit.

“Sans if you squirm around, I'll drop you. That won't be fun for either of us will it,” Neo said, hopping Sans higher up on his back.

As Neo carried Sans to his apartment, the shorter man babbled drunkenly. Dropping puns and random thoughts.

“Hey Neo?”

“Hmm?”

“Are you a proton? Because you make me feel positive.”

Neo blushed a bit, “Sans you're drunk.”

“You must be full of beryllium gold and titanium because you're Be-Au-Ti full.”

“Sans are you giving me science pickup lines?” Neo suppressed a chuckle.

“If not, I say you're made of Copper and Terrilium. Because you're Cu-Te,” Sans nuzzled his face into Neo’s neck, causing the taller to blush furiously.

“I bet you have 11 protons because you're Sodium-Fine,” Sans closed his eyes and hugged tighter to Neo, “I want to stick to you like Glue-cose.”’

Neo’s blush grew redder and his throat clenched up at the feeling of Sans talking against his neck.

“You must be chlorine, because Damn. You're so attractive.”

Neo felt like a tomato. He wanted to curl up in embarrassment as Sans dished out the pickup lines. By the time Neo reached the apartment building, it was 11:30 and Sans’s pickup lined didn't halt for a moment.

He struggled to unlock the door without dropping Sans but eventually got it open. Neo gently set Sans down on his bed, the smaller man still clinging to him. Neo let out a sigh, “You know, these pickup lines are made of Cobalt, Radon, and Yttrium because they are Co-Rn-Y.”

Sans stifled laughter and fell backwards, bringing Neo down with him. “Neo, that's mean. I worked hard coming up with these.”

Neo’s face went redder, “You spent time coming up with all of these?”

“Mmm hmm,” he hummed, “and I mean all of ‘em”

“You’re drunk.”

“Maybe, but that doesn't mean I don't care ‘bout you,” Sans muttered squeezing Neo, “Hey, I’ve got one more.”

Neo sighed, “Let me hear it.”

“Can you guess what my favorite element is?”

“What, Uranium?”

“Nope”

“Fine, what is it.”

“NEOn.”  

Neo felt his face heat up so much it could be mistaken as a bunsen burner. “I can't believe you Sans.”

“You should.”

“You need to get some rest. You’re gonna have a wicked hangover tomorrow,” Neo tried to pry himself from Sans’s vice grip, but proved himself unable, “Sans can you let go? I can sleep on the couch.”

“Neo, don't leave,” Sans whined, rolling onto his side and taking Neo with him, “ ‘re warm.”

“Fine, you big oaf,” Neo grumbled half-heartedly, settling down in Sans’s arms. He didn't even need to wait for sleep to wrap him in its warm embrace.

* * *

 

Sans awoke to a headache splitting at his head. His arms were wrapped around something and he shoved his face further into it to block out the light. The object was warm and most definitely not a blanket.

Prying open his eyes, Sans was met with Neo's chest. His eyes shot wide at the realisation of where he was. To make it worse, when he looked up to Neo's face, he was staring right back at him.

“I-I uhm,” he stuttered, growing an uncharacteristic blush.

Neo stared back at Sans, his face adorning a matching blush, “How do you feel? You were uh.. Pretty drunk last night.”

Sans looked away and let go of Neo, forcing himself to sit up even if it made him woozy. “Oh god,” he muttered, covering his face remembering the things he said the night before, “How long was I doing that…”

“All night. You know a lot of science pickup lines…”

Sans only grew more embarrassed, pulling his knees in front of him and burying his face in them. “I can't believe I did that, I was going to save those. Now you know and it's probably going to be awkward and…” Sans clutched his aching head and ran his fingers through his hair.

“Wait…” Neo started, “You… you meant those?”

Sans looked up at Neo’s ,now blazing red, face, “Yes… Uhhhh I, Shit. I'm sorry. Just forget that happened. I don't want it to be awkward.”

“No, no, no! Sans it's fine. Don't worry about it! I- I uh, uhm kinda. ah-” Neo failed to make out a coherent sentence as he awkwardly rubbed a hand along the metal of his forearm.

It didn't take much for Sans to get the message, his dual-colored eyes going wide in absolute amazement and embarrassment all at once. “So, wait… You like me… Holy fuck.” Sans grinned anxiously and gripped his hands tightly around the bottom of his shirt. Butterflies beat violently at the sides of his stomach, tickling his nerves. Sans felt something else tickle his stomach. Fuck... Those weren't butterflies…

The next thing he knew, Sans was dry heaving over the toilet as Neo gently rubbed his back.

“I’ll get you some water, there's some aspirin in the cupboard,” Neo assured, leaving the bathroom to Sans.

Sans groaned and flushed the disgusting and muddied fluid down the toilet. Shuffling through the cabinet, Sans pulled out the aspirin bottle and laid out two pills. His head throbbed but he couldn't get his mind off of Neo’s confession. Sans wasn't sitting in a pit of one sided attraction, but of unrequited. His mind raced and jumped around to thoughts that made him grin and blush.

“I, uh, I got the water…”Neo stuttered, handing the glass to Sans.

Sans chugged down the refreshing liquid and the pills at once, thanking Neo.

“Don't sweat it,” he grinned, giving Sans a gentle hand on the shoulder, “So uhm, when you asked me to that museum exhibit. Was that intended to be a date?”

“Yeah… We can still go though. I’m pretty sure It's open all week.”

“We could go later if you’re feeling better. Hangovers usually go away halfway through the day. At least that's how they were for my dad.”

Sans casually nodded and grinned, “I’ve got a good liver. It’ll be over soon.” Sans couldn't help but let his smile grow wider at the thought of the date.

 

* * *

 

Neo stood in the entryway of the museum, marveling at the vast building as Sans went to go get tickets. The building was flocked by parents with young children, older teens, and really people of all ages were interested.

When Sans got back with the tickets, the two entered the building. It was even better inside. The ceilings were high with bright skylights casting down warm rays from above. Signs pointed in different directions, directing visitors to different exhibits. The two wandered around, hand in hand, looking for cool machines.

A large crowd was gathered around an area, drawing in Neo’s attention. “Hey Sans, what do you think is over there?” Neo pointed to the sea of ‘oohing’ and ‘aahing’ people.

“I dunno, let's go check it out.”

The two made their way over to the crowd, Neo easily looking over the heads of others and casting a gaze down on the attraction.

“Neo, I can't see. What is it?” Sans asked, standing up on his toes.

“I think it's an arm? It seems to be painting? Here I’ll just show you,” Neo crouched down and allowed Sans to climb up on his shoulders.

Sans grinned at one of the few advantages of being short as he gazed over at the robot. The machine was most definitely painting as it moved a brush over a canvas in gentle strokes.The painting was a gray scale of a lonely tree perched atop a hill. “It's really amazing how far technology has become,” Sans awed.

Neo grinned and looked at his own arm, “Robotics really is amazing isn't it…” Neo let Sans down as the weight began to bear down more so on his shoulders. “You want to go grab some lunch? I saw a cafeteria back there,” Neo suggested, taking back Sans’s dark hand in his own pale one.

“Sure, sounds good.”

The two leisurely made their way back to the cafeteria and stopped at a few exhibits along the way. When looking over at an unmoving robot, Neo noticed something. “Hey, Sans, look.” He pointed in the direction of the exhibit. Not at the machine, but at a kid sitting on the floor beside it. The small boy had his face in his knees and seemed to be crying. His blond, spiky hair sprang up in various directions.

Sans and Neo made their way over to the kid, Neo crouching down in front of him. “Hey uh, are you lost?”

The kid looked up, he had a couple of bruises on his face and teary golden eyes. “Huh?” He mumbled, wiping his eyes on his knees.

That's when Neo realised the kid had no arms. He felt a wave of empathy wash over him. “Here stand up,” Neo told the kid, holding out a metallic hand.

The kid’s eyes seemed to glow like stars as he placed his chin on Neo’s hand and used it as leverage to get up. “Your arm! Yooo!” the kid jumped around a bit as Neo held out his arm.

Neo rolled up his sleeve and revealed the entirety of the metal exterior, “Yeah, it's mostly prosthetic. I lost my real arm when I was around your age.”

The kid moved his face close to it, “Aw man. That's so cool! Oh yeah! I am lost too. My cousin brought me here but we got separated.”

“Well then,” Neo lifted the kid up onto his shoulders, “Let's go find your cousin. By the way, my name is Neo and this is Sans.”

The kid smiled and waggled his feet, “My name’s Kid.”

Sans, Neo and Kid spent awhile searching for Kid’s cousin. As they searched, Kid asked about Neo’s arm and and Sans and Neo asked about Kid’s own. Turns out, Kid lost his arms in an accident when he was younger.

“Yeah, I don't really remember it, and my parents don't like talking about it,” Kid commented, gazing around the crowd for his cousin. “OH!” he shouted, shaking his legs enthusiastically, “I see her! Alphys! Hey Alphys!”

Within the crowd, a short blonde woman looked around and spotted the three of you. She quickly made her way towards you, apologizing to anyone she happened to bump in with. “Kid! Oh my, I’m so glad you’re safe,” she said, wrapping him in an embrace as he was lifted down from Neo’s shoulders. “Thank You so mu-” she looked up to Neo and Sans and paused, “Neo? Sans? What are you two doing here?”

Neo grinned wide, “I didn't expect to see you here Alphys. I didn't know you had such a cute cousin.”

Sans gave a confused glance to both Neo and Alphys, “How do the two of you know each other?”

“Oh! I’m a good friend of Neo and Mettaton, I met the two of them back when they were nine,” Alphys chuckled, snorting a bit in her laughter, “The three of us shared a recovery room in the hospital.” Alphys wrapped her arms around Kid and laid her chin atop his head.

“Cuz! Why didn't you ever tell me you knew such cool people!” kid exclaimed, attempting to turn around and look at Alphys.

“Alphys and I know each other from college,” Sans explained, his hand still wrapped around Neo’s “We both had the Same major and a love for science and jokes.”

“Yeah,” Alphys agreed, checking her watch for the time and going wide eyed, “Oh my! I’m sorry to cut the reunion short, but I need to get Kid home. I don't want his parents getting mad at me! Anyways, I heard that there’ll be a New Year's party down at the park. You two should totally come!”

“Sounds like a great idea!”

“Yeah, We’ll see if we can go.”

Alphys hummed happily and placed a hand on Kid’s shoulder, “Alright you two, I’ll see you there hopefully!”

 

After Alphys left, Neo and Sans went back to their original plan of getting some lunch. The two of them sat down at an empty table off to the side of the food court. Both of them chowed down on sandwiches, relishing every bite on their hungry tongues. After ten or so minutes, Sans got up to use the bathroom, leaving Neo alone. Sans had been gone for about a minute when Neo felt a tap on his shoulder and turned around to see who it was. He did not like what he saw.

“Hey Neo! The girls and I were out and we saw the you come in here and decided to say hello!” Amy’s tone was cheery and peppy.

“It's been awhile, we haven't been able to catch you much at school with that _OTHER_ girl always by your side,” Claire snarked, placing a hand on her hip.

“But I’m so glad we get to see you now! Yeah, and without that annoying short guy around too,” Amy sat down on one of the chairs around Neo, Claire and Olivia following suit. Neo felt uneasiness prick at his stomach.

“I don't know how you can even stand him,” Claire groaned, “he is so rude!”

“True that, he isn't even attractive either,” Amy said, rolling her eyes.

Neo’s uneasiness began to fade away as his mouth grew into a frown.

Olivia sat quietly off to the side, looking down at her hands laid gently in her lap. “Oh no..” she whispered inaudibly.

“You should totally hang out with us instead!”

“We’re so much more attractive and entertaining than that fatass”

Neo’s passive nature faded into nothing at the comment, “What did you just call Sans?” he growled under his breath, temper causing him to clench his fists.

Claire immediately cringed back, drawing reclusive. Amy, on the other hand, didn't hesitate, “I said he’s a Fatass. He doesn't deserve the attention you give him, we do.”

“Amy please…” Olivia whispered, looking up to Amy.

“I think you three need to leave,” Neo growled, teeth gritting together and metal hand clenching down on the tabletop.

“Why should we,” Amy scoffed, “H-he doesn't deserve your attention. You should be hanging out with p-pretty girls, not some shorty!”

“Amy stop…” Olivia pleaded, her voice rising above a whisper.

“Olivia’s right,” Claire mumbled, fear coursing through her.

“Why should I Ollie?!” Amy exclaimed, whipping her head to her friend, “I’m doing this for you!”

“Well I never asked you to stalk him! Or insult his friend! I just asked for your help in getting close to him!” Olivia’s eyes streamed down tears as she yelled at her friend. “I’m sorry Neo, I didn't want this,” Olivia got up, rubbed the tears from here eyes, and ran off, Claire quickly following her.

“I think you should be going now. I can stand for you insulting me, bothering me, and being an overall nuisance to _ME._ But I won't stand for you beating down on Sans. He means an awful lot to me and nothing you do can make me change my mind on that matter,” Neo said firmly, glaring at Amy with narrowed eyes.

It didn't take long for her to get the message, “I hope you’re happy. Olivia just wanted you to fall in love with her. Look what you’ve done.”

“I think it's more of, look what _you’ve_ done.”

Amy was taken aback by the comment, but said nothing, only leaving to find her two friends.

Neo let out a heavy sigh and slumped back into his chair, running his hand through his hair. There were visible marks on the table where he had clenched down on it and his metal hand ached from the tension. There was a noise of a chair being pulled out, causing Neo to open his eyes. He sighed, only Sans.

“Hey, kiddo. I was coming back and I saw those girls with you. You held your own though. I’m proud of you,” Sans leaned forward and too Neo’s hand in his own in a comforting gesture.

Neo grinned and sat up some, “They were insulting you, what else could I do? I couldn't just stand there and let them do that.”

Sans’s eyes widened and a blush began to peek through his dark cheeks, “Oh. Thanks then.” Sans only squeezed at Neo’s hand, looking away from the taller’s gaze.

Neo chuckled, “We should probably get you home. Papyrus is probably worried sick.”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoops? Did I say fluff? I meant fluff with a hint of angst. Whoopsies!


End file.
